1 Peter 3:21

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

This water symbolizes baptism, which now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Ὃ ἀντίτυπον νῦν Καὶ ἡμᾶς σώζει βάπτισμα (οὐ σαρκὸς ἀπόθεσις ῥύπου, ἀλλὰ συνειδήσεως ἀγαθῆς ἐπερώτημα εἰς Θεόν,) διʼ ἀναστάσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ:

Transliteration

Which antitypon now also us sōzei baptisma (not of-sarkos apothesis rhypou, but of-syneidēseōs agathēs eperōtēma unto Theon,) through anastasteōs Iēsou Christou:

Grammar Details

• *ho*: nominative, neuter, singular, relative pronoun - which
• *antitypon*: nominative, neuter, singular - antitype/corresponding to
• *nyn*: adverb - now/at present
• *kai*: conjunction - also/even
• *hēmas*: accusative, plural - us
• *sōzei*: present active indicative, 3rd singular - saves
• *baptisma*: nominative, neuter, singular - baptism
• *ou*: negative particle - not
• *sarkos*: genitive, feminine, singular - of flesh
• *apothesis*: nominative, feminine, singular - removal/putting away
• *rhypou*: genitive, masculine, singular - of filth/dirt
• *alla*: conjunction - but/rather
• *syneidēseōs*: genitive, feminine, singular - of conscience
• *agathēs*: genitive, feminine, singular - of good
• *eperōtēma*: nominative, neuter, singular - pledge/appeal/inquiry
• *eis*: preposition + accusative - to/into/unto
• *Theon*: accusative, masculine, singular - God
• *di*: preposition + genitive - through
• *anastasteōs*: genitive, feminine, singular - of resurrection
• *Iēsou*: genitive, masculine, singular - of Jesus
• *Christou*: genitive, masculine, singular - of Christ

Word Meanings

• *antitypon*: antitype/corresponding to/figure/like figure
• *sōzei*: saves/delivers/preserves
• *baptisma*: baptism/immersion/washing
• *sarkos*: of flesh/of body/of human nature
• *apothesis*: removal/putting away/getting rid of
• *rhypou*: of filth/of dirt/of impurity
• *syneidēseōs*: of conscience/of moral consciousness
• *agathēs*: of good/of clear/of clean
• *eperōtēma*: pledge/appeal/inquiry/question/request
• *Theon*: God/deity
• *anastasteōs*: of resurrection/of rising up
• *Iēsou Christou*: of Jesus Christ/of the Messiah Jesus

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  which also after a true likeness doth now save you, [even] baptism, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the interrogation of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ;

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us(not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  which signifieth baptim that now saveth vs not ye puttinge awaye of ye filth of the flesshe but in that a good conscience consenteth to God by ye resurreccio of Iesus Christ

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  Which signifieth baptyme yt now saueth vs: not ye puttinge awaye of the fylth of the flesh, but in yt a good cosciece cosenteth vnto God by ye resurreccion of Iesus Christ,

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Whereof the baptisme that nowe is, answering that figure, (which is not a putting away of the filth of the flesh, but a confident demaunding which a good conscience maketh to God) saueth vs also by the resurrection of Iesus Christ,

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  To the which also the figure agreeth that nowe saueth vs, euen baptisme, not the puttyng away of the fylth of the fleshe, but in that a good conscience maketh request to God, by the resurrection of Iesus Christe:

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  ¶ The like figure whereunto [even] baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  This is a symbol of baptism, which now saves you-- not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  also to which an antitype doth now save us -- baptism, (not a putting away of the filth of flesh, but the question of a good conscience in regard to God,) through the rising again of Jesus Christ,

• American Standard Version (1901)

  which also after a true likeness doth now save you, `even' baptism, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the interrogation of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ;

• American Standard Version (1901)

  which also after a true likeness doth now save you, [even] baptism, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the interrogation of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ;

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And baptism, of which this is an image, now gives you salvation, not by washing clean the flesh, but by making you free from the sense of sin before God, through the coming again of Jesus Christ from the dead;

• World English Bible (2000)

  This is a symbol of baptism, which now saves you--not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  And this prefigured baptism, which now saves you– not the washing off of physical dirt but the pledge of a good conscience to God– through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Referenced Verses

• Mark 16:16 : 16 'Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.'
• Gal 3:27 : 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
• 1 Pet 1:3 : 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in His great mercy has caused us to be born again into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
• Acts 2:38 : 38 Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• Acts 22:16 : 16 And now, why delay? Get up, be baptized, and wash away your sins by calling on His name.
• 1 Cor 12:13 : 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
• Col 2:12 : 12 Having been buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
• Matt 28:19 : 19 'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,'
• Eph 5:26 : 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing of water through the word,
• Rom 6:3-6 : 3 Or do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore, we were buried with Him by baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with Him in the likeness of His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in the resurrection. 6 We know this: our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, and we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
• Rom 10:9-9 : 9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses unto salvation.
• 1 Cor 4:6 : 6 Brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your sake, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written. Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over and against another.
• 2 Cor 1:12 : 12 For this is our boast: The testimony of our conscience is that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity and godly sincerity, not relying on worldly wisdom but on God's grace.
• 2 Cor 7:1 : 1 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, completing holiness in the fear of God.
• 1 Tim 6:12 : 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
• Titus 3:5-7 : 5 He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 This Spirit He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, being justified by His grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
• Rom 5:14 : 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam's transgression, who is a type of the One who was to come.
• Ezek 36:25-26 : 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
• Zech 13:1 : 1 On that day, a fountain will be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
• Acts 8:36 : 36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, 'Look, here is water! What is stopping me from being baptized?'
• Acts 16:33 : 33 At that hour of the night, the jailer took them and washed their wounds. Then he and all his household were baptized immediately.
• Heb 11:19 : 19 Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and in a sense, he did receive Isaac back from death as a symbol.
• Heb 9:24 : 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with hands, which is only a copy of the true one, but He entered heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.